


trade rooks with me.

by lonelyheartsclub_com



Category: The Queen's Gambit (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:07:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27940514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonelyheartsclub_com/pseuds/lonelyheartsclub_com
Summary: beth harmon and annette packer's lover story is one for the books.
Relationships: Beth Harmon/Annette Packer
Kudos: 29





	trade rooks with me.

**Author's Note:**

> hi im on my beth/annette bullshit !!

Beth stared at the girl sitting in front of her.

"Hi." 

She blinked. She was playing a girl first? Oh, well. It didn't matter. Maybe she was good. 

She extended her arm out. "Annette Packer."

"Beth Harmon."

Annette was your typical '60s girl. She had curly brown hair, hazel eyes and designer clothes. 

Beth found her pretty. She had found other girls pretty. In the unnatural way. When she had seen those two from her high-school making out in the library, her eyes were fixated on the girl. Her boyfriend's hand was up her shirt and Beth...

Beth ducked her head, focusing on the match instead of the girl. She had interesting moves that Beth had never seen before, but alas, Beth was better. 

But, she purposely threw the match. Not enough to let Annette win, but just enough to buy more time for the two of them to talk. 

"I've never met another girl that likes chess." Beth muttered. Annette started Beth's clock. 

"Nor I. I would like to be friends with you, Beth. I feel that I could learn a lot from you." 

"I would like nothing more." 

She made her final move, and Annette faltered for a moment, before tipping her king over. Beth recorded her move. 

She tore off a little piece of paper and handed it to Annette. 

"My address. Swing around sometime, won't you?" She got up, walking away from Annette, and her heart fluttered. Maybe Annette was like her. 

***

Beth moved up the ranks of the tournament swiftly, and Annette came around hers to discuss chess movements sometimes. 

"You know, Beth, I've never seen anyone play like you. You're _incredible_." Her beautiful hazel eyes shone with adoration and Beth blushed and looked down at her chess board, trying to find faults in her play. None. But she was slightly more focused on what Annette had said. The way she praised her. 

"Thank you, Annette. You're quite skilled as well." she grinned. Receiving a compliment from someone like Beth must've seriously boosted her self esteem. 

"You know, your mother practically loves me."

Beth flinched. Would her mother still like Annette if she knew that she was most likely in love with Beth?

Of course Beth had seen it. She wasn't stupid, and Annette was really quite shitty at hiding her emotions. She wore the most elegant gold rimmed glasses when they were studying chess moves together, and they made Beth's heart beat a little faster. She peered up at Beth through thick, dark lashes, her hair falling into her eyes. 

"I never understood why people made fun of you. Your hair is beautiful, and so are your eyes. And your smile..."

Beth looked down at Annette, her dark brown eyes flickering to the girl's lips. Beth wanted to kiss her. So badly. She wanted to hold Annette in her arms and confess- At that moment, Alma shouted, "Beth! Annette! Dinner!"

Fuck. 

Dinner was awkward. Just Alma trying to understand chess moves whilst failing miserably. 

"Any men you have your eyes on, Beth?"

Beth stopped poking at her food and went rigid. Annette stopped drinking her water. 

"No. Why would I care about men when I have a tournament to win?" Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Annette's lips curl up into a soft smile. 

"Fair enough."

***

Playing Beltik. She was finally playing Beltik, and what did he do?

He didn't fucking show. 

She sat there, the gentle sounds of his ticking stopwatch and people taking drags of their cigarettes shattering the silence. When he walked in, he was holding a cup of coffee. He was late because of a fucking cup of coffee?

They should've just declared her the winner right there. 

The match was well underway, and Beth couldn't focus. She was terrifyingly alert of everything, and she felt like she was being tortured with those medieval torture devices. 

She ran out.

She could hear footsteps coming after her. 

She shut the door and she winced. It felt like her organs were being ripped up. She couldn't do this right now. She had a chess tournament to win. How else was she going to move up the ranks? She looked down to see a thin line of blood dripping down her leg and fought the urge to throw up. 

The door opened and in waltzed Annette, her curly brown hair bouncing with each step she took. She hesitated when she saw Beth standing there. She looked down, not wanting to lock eyes with Annette. Awkward awkward awkward-

"I've never-" Annette thrusts something into her hands. It's a pad. Beth feels her cheeks heat as she fights the urge to say, "I don't know how to use this." Annette's eyes are lingering on her as she shuts the stall door and shoves some toilet paper down there, throwing the pad in the bin. 

Annette smiled at her as she washed her hands. As she turned to leave, Annette said, "Beat him for me, won't you, Beth?"

Beth blushed slightly at the thought of doing it for her. "I'll try." she muttered, closing the door behind her. 

She would live. She had a chess tournament to win. 

"Son of a bitch." he muttered. Beth smiled and interlaced her fingers and rested her head on her hands. She had cornered him, and he had nowhere to go. 

"You're fucked. You can't get out of this-"

"Just move." he huffed.

So she did. 

She recorded and he hesitated.

And he tipped over his king. 

***

Annette bought her ice cream to celebrate. "My treat, sweetheart. You did win the Kentucky State Championships, after all."

Beth never really liked ice cream, but she appreciated the sentiment. "Thank you, Nettie." She wrapped an arm around Annette's waist, which was quite hard because of Annette's 5 or so inches over her. 

"So, what's the plan now? Any bigger contests?"

"I was just going to ask about that. There's a tournament, in Cincinnati. Come with me, Annette? I need you there."

Annette nodded and grinned. 


End file.
